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Giovanni Battista Viotti

Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824)

Nationality: Italian
Born: May 12, 1755, Fontanetto da Po Died: March 3, 1824, London (age 68)
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Flute Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 22, No. 1, W.II.16

(for flute, violin, viola and cello)
9:09 I. Andate - Allegro vivace
2:09 II. Adagio
6:26 III. Allegro
Duration: 18 minutes (approximately)
Published: 1801-1806 (age 45-51)

glossary

  • adagio [It]—slow tempo, often implying a lyrical, poignant character
  • allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
  • andante [I]—moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
  • chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
  • Flute quartet—Common name for popular chamber ensemble (work) comprising flute, violin, viola and cello (rather than 4 flutes!). This ensemble was especially popular in the "gallant" early classical period particularly for domestic music making by royal and common flutist alike.
  • opus [L], opera[pl], Op., Opp, WoO, Op. posth—work, as in a work of art. For unique identification, publishers/composers often assign an "opus number", abbreviated as "Op." (e.g. Op. 1). A range of works by opus number, uses the plural "opp." (e.g. "Opp. 1-3"). A single opus number may refer to a collection of works (e.g. a set of quartets) giving rise to designations like "Op. 1, No. 4". For misc. works without opus numbers, "WoO" is often used (e.g."Without Opus"). Posthumously assigned numbers may use "Op. posth". Opus numbers may not precisely reflect chronology (publication vs. composition), can be erroneous, sparse or duplicative. Thus, the works of some historically important composers may use separate catalog numbers (e.g. Bach, Haydn, Schubert). See wiki
  • quartet, quatuor [F], quartett [G], quartetto [I], cuarteto [S]—ensemble or work for four players the most important examples being the string quartet and the piano quartet
  • vivace—brisk, lively tempo faster than allegro